Know All About Unhealthy Weight Loss

Today, people are falling into the traps set by quick but unhealthy weight loss. As tempting as it is knowing the ‘Best diet to lose weight fast’ and ‘Best exercises to lose weight fast’ which promise quick weight loss, the long-term effects of these are severely detrimental and could not only end up waylaying your weight loss plans but also impair your usual body functions. Read on to know how.

What is an unhealthy weight loss?

Whether it is crash diets or exercises, neither of them sustains in the long haul because they promote loss of water-weight, which leads to both, rebound weight gain at a quicker pace as well as loss of health.

Unhealthy weight loss can be a result of any of the following:

1. Starvation:

Eating small amounts of food consistently is excellent for metabolism, which is what makes starvation one of the most non-constructive ways to lose weight.

While it does burn fat, it also ends up burning lean muscle mass, harming muscular organs such as the heart, causes nutrition deficiencies, and slows metabolism for conserving energy, ultimately leading to ultra-slow weight loss. Try intermittent fasting instead.

2. Eliminating food groups:

Limiting, or eliminating, specific food groups are very popular ways of losing weight today. You have the protein-only diet, you have the Atkins diet and you even have the Keto diet.

The issue with these, as well as eating only a single kind of food, is severe loss of nutrients due to lack of other food groups.

This leads to the body being unable to burn fat (lack of carbs) and one suffers from constipation (lack of fibre), vitamin deficiencies and hormone function disruption (lack of fat) and more.

Besides, they do not work for sustained, healthy weight loss. Taking laxatives for weight loss is equally harmful to your health.

4. Excessive exercise:

The best exercise for weight loss is not exercising excessively or compulsively.

It goes hand-in-hand with purging, starvation, etc. and puts extreme stress on the organs and the body.

Of all the ways to lose weight fast, this is the most dangerous and puts people at extreme risk.

According to a Monash University study, over-exercising cause people to suffer from chronic or acute gut issues. The study observed that increasing duration and intensity of exercise over and above what is required by the body increased gut damage risks and even led to weakened gut function. The threshold of exercise stress is – 2 hours at 60% max. oxygen, after which problems arose.

Is it bad to lose a lot of weight quickly?

1. Loss of muscle:

In the race for losing fat, low-calorie diets end up making you lose muscle instead.

2. Slowing down metabolism:

Metabolism decides the amounts and rate of calorie burning, and loss of weight quickly results in a slower metabolism. This leads to very, very slow weight loss or in some cases, even weight gain.

3. Cause nutritional deficiencies:

Low calorie or specific diets are lacking in important nutrients such as vitamin B 12, folate, and iron, which puts people at the risk of nutritional deficiencies. It also leads to loss of hair, anaemia and extreme fatigue, an extremely poor immune function, and brittle and weak bones.

4. Gallstones:

These hard pieces which form inside the gallbladder are the painful consequences of losing weight too fast. Consuming less food doesn’t allow the gallbladder to release the digestive juices essential in breaking down the food we eat, which refashion themselves as gallstones.

There are many factors which decide this – your starting size (if you have a larger frame, you will obviously see results quicker), the type of diet you’re following, your carbs intake, and even how often you weigh yourself.

Why do I keep losing weight for no reason?

Losing weight for no reason is never good, especially when it could be a result of any of the following – underactive thyroid, gut diseases, diabetes, depression and stress, rheumatoid arthritis, a poor diet, adrenal insufficiency or even cancer.

Can losing weight help a bulging disc?

Bulging discs are caused due to excess weight, which places stress on the spinal vertebrae and discs in the lower back region. This causes them to herniate or bulge. Hence, weight loss, especially in the midsection, can definitely help with a bulging disc.